Spartans Bitten by Beavers in Final Minute
Nov 16, 2013
STORM LAKE, Iowa - The University of Dubuque football team would like to get three minutes back this season. On the road at the Buena Vista University Beavers on Saturday, the Spartans were feeling confident leading by nine points with 5:22 left of the game 28-19. BV used a nine play 60 yard drive in 2:29 to pull within two points 26-28 on a two yard touchdown run. The Beavers attempted an onside kick and successfully recovered with 2:47 remaining. BV used five plays and moved the ball to the Spartan 15 yard line for the 25 yard field goal and it was good for the lead 29-28. UD would get the ball with just 58 seconds left and moved the ball down to the BV 25 yardline. The Spartans aired it out to the endzone and the pass was incomplete as time ran out, 29-28 favoring BV. For the second week in a row, the host Beavers captured the win in the final minute. The two teams would finish the Iowa Conference 4-3.
The Spartans have suffered three heartbreaking Iowa Conference losses in the 2013 season in the final minutes. Against the Iowa Conference champion Wartburg Knights, the Spartans were beaten on a 17 yard touchdown pass with :35 seconds to go, 22-17. A high scoring affair in Indianola watched the Storm rally back to win on a 26 yard pass with :33 seconds left, 50-46 and this week the Beavers on a 25 yard feild goal with :58 seconds left for the 29-28 win.
The Spartans scored first in Storm Lake on a Bryan Bradshaw 15 yard pass to Tyler Rutenbeck with 10:38 remaining in the opening quarter. The Beavers took control of the second quarter and scored twice to take the lead 13-7. Prior to halftime Curtis Prull missed a 31 yard field goal with :27 ticks left on the clock. Coach Zweifel's halftime speech fired up the Spartans as they controlled the third quarter with a 44 yard touchdown catch and a three yard touchdown catch by Rutenbeck as UD stretched their lead 21-13. The two teams swapped scores in the fourth with Kyle Acker scoring on a 16 yard run to extend the lead to nine points with 5:22 left.
UD finished the day with 26 first downs, 208 yards rushing and 297 yards passing for 505 total offensive yards in the loss. Kyle Acker led the Spartan ground game with 22 carries for 165 yards. Bryan Bradshaw completed 26-43 pass attempts for 297 yards in the air. Sean Anderson was his favorite target who grabbed 10 catches for 101 yards. Chris Bagley collected seven catches for 84 yards and Rutenbeck grabbed six catches for 90 yards. Austin Hughes led the defense with nine tackles. Dustin Sorrentino and Ryan Arnold both finished with eight tackles and each had a tackle for loss. Blaine Snitker picked off the Beaver quarterback and returned it 21 yards and finished with five tackles.
UD completes their season 5-5 overall and 4-3 in the IIAC.
